I’m 22 (almost 23, on Jan 13th) and I’ve been living with my boyfriend for just over a year now. I’ve struggled with emetophobia pretty much my whole life, but it got worse in my last couple years of high school and in college. We share a tiny apartment with one (tiny) bathroom. I’ve always been slightly nervous for the day that he would be sick in the night. Well last night it happened... he got up just about every hour to use the restroom. No vomiting, just diarrhea. We hadn’t been drinking and we had the same things to eat all weekend so I’m almost positive it is a virus. He felt better towards 5 pm and decided to go coach (he’s a wrestling coach and coaches kids age 5-17, which is where I think he picked this crud up).

I sterilized the bathroom this morning and have been vilagent about keeping my hands clean and cleaning all surfaces he might have touched. I’m having flashbacks to three years ago when we first started dating (weren’t living together yet) and he gave me the norovirus which I then spread to my roommate. I don’t want to get sick, mainly because I’m nervous about missing work. Calling in sick gives me almost more anxiety than the prospect of actually contracting the illness / possibly vomiting. Does anyone else have more anxiety about missing work or being sick in public than being sick at home or on the weekend?